Wall panel structure



Aug. 27, 1963 J. RADEK WALL PANEL STRUCTURE 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 11, 1961 QML U m N Aug. 27, 1963 J, RADEK 3,101,817

WALL PANEL STRUCTURE 7 Filed Aug. 11, 1961 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 61! u 65 g- 68 .6 6 p 2 U J ll 3 a 64 n 4 H v 3 Y B E Aug. 27, 1963 J. RADEK WALL PANEL STRUCTURE Filed Aug. 11, 1961 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Aug. 27, 1963 Filed Aug. 11, 1961 J. RADEK WALL PANEL STRUCTURE '7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Aug. 27, 1963 J. RADEK 3,101,817

WALL PANEL STRUCTURE Filed Aug. 11, 1961 '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIEIEI Aug. 27, 1963 J. RADEK 3, 01,817

WALL PANEL STRUCTURE Filed Aug. 11, 1961 '7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Aug. 27, 1963 J. RADEK WALL PANEL STRUCTURE 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Aug. 11, 1961 United States Patent .0

WALL PANEL STRUCTURE John Ratlelr, Ready Metal Mfg. Co., 4320 S. Knox Ave., Chicago, Ill.

. Filed Aug. 11, 1961, Ser. No. 130,836

Claims. (Cl. 189-34) This invention relates to a wall panel structure, and in particular it relates to the supporting framework for the panels of such a structure.

Present-day building costs, and the need for frequent reorganization of retail selling and office areas, has greatly increased the desirability of relatively inexpensive internal Wall structures which may be rapidly and easily assembled from standard components, and which may also be rapidly disassembled and rearranged. The present invention is directed to such a structure.

The use of the present wall panel structure permits an attractive and well arranged retail merchandising or office layout to be set up within an inexpensive shell type of building, and also-permits quick and easy rearrangement of the interior of such a building.

Basically, the structure here disclosed comprises a supporting framework having a base channel and a top channel which are adapted to be mounted in vertically aligned relationship on the floor and ceiling of a room. The channels are identical, and include upright, parallel walls which are flanked by panel receiving flanges. Any re quired number of base channels and top channels may be secured together by channel-like splice members which secure the channels in abutting end-to-end relationship and also maintain their lateral alignment. Corner structures are provided by one-piece channel members which are identical with the base channel and top channel but have two arms disposed at an angle to one another.

Extending between the base channel and the top channel is a series of spaced, upright supporting posts, and each post has parallel faces adjacent the ends of which are aligned openings. The parallel faces of the posts fit closely between the parallel walls of the base and top channels, and opposed, integral tabs on the parallel channel walls are bent inwardly to impale the openings in the posts so as to firmly join the posts with the'base and top channels to create a structural framework that may be moved about as a unit and fastened in place in any desired location between the floor and ceiling of a room.

A strong corner structure is provided by positioning two posts very close to one another in the two angularly related arms of the corner channels, said posts being rigidly secured to the channels by tabs in the usual way. The posts themselves are then joined by one or more corner connector plates that have a central web and lateral flanges which are detachably secured to both posts in the corner assembly.

The posts of the framework are provided with aligned, vertical slots; and clips for detachably, securing panels to the posts are received in the slots. The lower ends of the panels are supported in the flanges which flank the parallel walls of the base channels, and their upper ends extend into the flanges of the top channels. In many cases a wall requires panels only on one side, since the rear side of the wall is toward the building wall and the space between the panel wall and the building wall may be used for storage of merchandise. However, where a panel wall forms an internal partition, or a room divider type of structure, panels may be mounted on both sides of the post and channel framework.

To accommodate the panel wall structure to rooms or buildings of varying heights, a system \of intermediate hangers and extension arrangements for the posts is provided, and may be used in conjunction with short panel sections which are cut to fill the space between a standard height post and panel and the ceiling of a room which" FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a typical arrangement I of a wall and associated display shelves employing the Wall panel structure of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the base channels, top channels, posts, and intermediate aligning bracket, with the channels and posts disassembled but correctly aligned with one another; 1

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front elevational view of an assembled base channel, top channel, post and intermediate aligning bracket;

FIG. 4 is a section taken substantially as illustrated along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3, with a panel mounted on the assembly;

FIG. 5 is a section taken substantially as illustrated along the line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a base channel member cut oif immediately adjacent the fastening tabs for a post;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 with the lower part of a post illustrated'as fastened to the base channel;

FIG. 8, is a fragmentary section taken substantially as illustrated along the line 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a corner assembly consisting of a base corner member, a top corner member, and two posts assembled with said corner members, a splice member being illustrated in broken lines extending from one end of the top corner channel;

FIG. 10 is an elevational view partly in section illustrating two channel members connected by a splice member;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating two channel members secured together by a splice member;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view through theposts of a corner assembly, taken substantially as illustrated along the line 12-12 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 13 is an elevational view of a splice member;

FIG. 14 is a section taken substantially as illustrated along the line 14-14 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 15 is an exploded view of a top channel assembly for a room in which the ceiling height is substantially illustrating the relationship between the end of a base channel and a cover member which closes the exposed end of the channel;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a post splice plate;

FIG. .20 is a fragmentary section on an enlarged scale taken substantially as illustnated along the line 2ll--2ll of FIG. 1;

FIG. 21 is a fragmentary section taken substantially as illustrated along the line 21.21 f FIG. 20';

FIG. 22 is a fragmentary section taken substantially 'as illustrated along the line 22-22 of FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a front elevational view of a mounting clip by means of which a panel is supported upon a post;

FIG. 23a is a section taken substantially as illustrated along the line 23a-23a of FIG. 23;

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a hook which is used to assemble a panel mounting clip on a post;

FIG. 25 is a fragmentary perspective view, partly in section, showing the relationship between a top channel, a splice plate, a panel and a top channel filler piece; and

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of a top corner channel assembled with atop filler piece for such a corner channel.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, and referring first to FIGS. 1 to 11, the wall panel structure of the present invention is seen to include a supporting framework (illustrated in FIG. 2 with the major framework components in their normal positions relative to one another but not assembled), said framework including a base channel, indicated generally at 30, a top channel, indicated generally at 31, a plurality of upright posts which are Z-shaped in cross-section, indicated generally at 32, and an intermediate alignment bracket indicated generally at 33. The framework components are assembled as hereinafter described, together with corner assemblies, indicated generally at 34 (see FIGS. 9 and 26) to provide a supporting structure for wall panels 35.

One of the principal uses ofthe present wall panel structure is in retail stores, and accordingly the structure makes provision for various types of shelves and display racks which form no part of the present invention, but which are illustrated in FIG. 1 and given general reference numerals 36, 36a, 36b, and 360.

The wall panel structure also makes provision for doorways, such as the doorway 37 in FIG. 1; and :these doorways may be provided with doors or not, as desired. While the doorways and door mounting structures are a part of the entire wall panel structure assembly as commercially provided, they do not specifically form a part of the present invention and accordingly are not illustrated in detail.

The wall panel structure is a modular system, so the base and top channels 30 and 31 are constructed to receive the supporting posts 32 at regular intervals of 2 feet, and the panels 35 are furnished in 2-foot widths so that the upright margins of each panel abut two adjacent posts. Where conditions require -a deviation from the 2-foot modulus, the base and top channels may be cut to any desired length and the panels may 'be cut to any desired width. Corners of the structure, whether inside or outside corners and whether forming a right angle or an obtuse angle, may be provided with special corner filler panels in accordance with the disclosure of my copending application 681,505 filed September 3, 1957, issued February 27, 1962, as Patent No. 3,022,869.

As seen in FIG. 1, the complete installation provides a very flexible wall layout which may be readily adapted to any available space, and which permits the use of shelves of various types in any desired location of the entire layout.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 to 8, the base channels 30 and top channels 31 are seen to be identical in construction, with the base channels mounted upon a wooden runner 38 attached to the floor of a room and the top channels 31 similarly attached to a wooden ceiling runner 39 mounted upon the ceiling of a room.

It is shown in FIGS. 1 and 15-19 that there are variations in the structure which depend upon the height of a room in which the wall panel system is installed. The panels are furnished in two basic heights, with lower panels 35 which are approximately 7 /2 feet high and upper panels 35a which are approximately 2 feet high. Referring to FIG. 2, the panels 35 may extend from the base channel 30 to the intermediate alignment bracket 33, while the upper panels 35a may extend from the alignment bracket 33 to the top channel 31. In the commonest type of installation, a panel 35 and a panel 35a fill the entire space from floor to ceiling. In higher rooms, the supporting posts 32 may be extended as seen at the extreme left of FIG. 1, utilizing special top channels 31a, upper extension posts 3211, and post splice plates 40 (FIGS. 15-19). In that case any suitable filler panels may be used between the upper ends of the panels 35a and the ceiling, and screwed or nailed to the top channel 21 and ceiling runner 29. In a very low room, or in a section where only a room divider rather than a complete wall is desired, the panels 35 may be used without the panels 35a as seen in the right-hand portion of FIG. 1.

The base and top channels 30 and 31, together with the Z-posts and alignment bracket 33 afford a supporting framework on which the panels 35 and 35a are detachably mounted by means of a system of clips illustrated in FIGS. 20 to 24 and claimed in my copending application 681,505.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. 2 to 8, and more especially to FIGS. 6 to 8, the base channel 30 is seen to have a horizontal plate 41 and parallel upstanding walls 42 which are sheared to provide opposed integral fastening tabs 43, and which are flanked by opposed tabs 44 and opposed tabs 45. The upright parallel walls 42 are flanked by angular panel receiving flanges 46 which include a base web 46a and an upright web 4612. As seen in FIG. 12, the top channels 31 are identical in construction with the base channels 30 and are assembled in an inverted position surmounting the posts 32. Accordingly, the top channels 31 are not described in detail, but are given reference numerals 51 to 56 which correspond, respectively, to the reference numerals 41 to 46 of the base channels.

The Z-posts 32 are best seen in FIGS. 2, 7, and 8 to have parallel legs 61 connected by a diagonal web 62, and side flanges 63 which extend along the free edges of the parallel legs 61. The parallel legs of each post 32 are provided adjacent their lower ends with aligned openings 64, and adjacent their upper ends with aligned openings 65; and as best seen in FIGS. 3, 4, 7, and 8 each post is rigidly connected to the base channel 30 and top channel 31 by turning the opposed tabs 43 of the base channel downwardly into the aligned openings 64, and turning the corresponding opposed tabs 53 of the top channel upwardly into the opposed openings 65 adjacent the top of the post. Thus, each of the bottom tabs 43 bears on the bottom margin 66 of one of the openings 64, and edges 43a of the tab substantially abut opposite upright sides 67 of the opening so as to effectively lock the posts against lateral movement in the channel. Similarly, the tabs 53 of the top channel 31 bear upon upper margins of the holes 65 in the upper ends of the posts, and lock the posts and top channel against relative longitudinal movement by bearing upon the upright sides of the openings 65.

Each of the two parallel legs 61 of the Z-posts 32 is provided with a vertical line of hanger slots 68 which are used in co-operation with hooks, or a combination of hooks and clips, to support the intermediate alignment bracket 33 and the panels 35 upon the Z-posts.

Reference is made particularly to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 for the mounting of the intermediate alignment bracket 33, from which it is seen that the bracket 33 has an upright fastening web 71 which abuts corresponding legs 61 of -a group of adjacent Z-posts 32, while extending outwardly from fastening web 7 1 is a horizontal spacing web 72. At the outer margin of web 72 is an upright flange 73 which extends above the spacing web a distance slightly less than the depth of the upright web 56b of the panel-receiving flange upon the top channel 31. Also at the outer edge of spacing web 72 is a downwardly extending flange 74 which is somewhat longer than the upright web 46b on the base channel 30.

The center alignment bracket 33 is supported on the posts 32 by means of a line of integral tabs 75 which are struck from the fastening web 71 and are so spaced that each tab extends into one of the slots 68 of a Z-post; and

immediately above each of the tabs 75 the fastening web 71 is provided with a series of mounting slots 76 each in register with a slot 68 in the Z-post which is immediately above the slot occupied by the tab 75. A mounting hook, indicated generally at 77, impales the registering slots 63 and 76 to clamp'the fastening web 71 of the center alignment bracket firmly against the leg 61 of the post with which it is associated.

As previously stated, the present system is modular, and the tabs on the walls of the base channel and top channel are set two feet apart so that when the posts 32 are assembled with the channels the posts are on twoioot centers. If a wall is to be longer than the length of a single channel member, the channels must be spliced together end-to-end, and the means for accomplishing this is illustrated in FIGS. to 14. FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate a pair of channels 30 positioned with their ends in abutment, and a channel splice member 7 8 is seen to be mounted across the joint between the two channel members and secured to the channels by metal screws. The splice member 78 has a base 79 and a pair of side walls 81? which are seen in FIG; 14 to fit closely within the parallel walls 42 of the channel. The splice member side walls 39 have inturned upper margins film which simplify the insertion in and removal of the splice members [from the channel members.

The present wall panel system also makes provision for corners, and a corner assembly is illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 12, while a single corner channel member is illustrated in FIG. 26. Referring first to FIG. 9, a base corner channel, indicated generally at 8 1, and a top corner channel, indicated generally atfiZ, are identical in construction, and are assembled in relatively inverted positions at the opposite ends of a pair of posts 32. The base corner channel 8'1 has first a channel arm 83 and a second channel arm 84- which, in the particular member illustrated in FIG. 5, are at right angles to one another. The same type of corner assembly is also used where two wall panels 35 are to occupy an obtuse angle with respect to one another, as in the area immediately to the right of door opening 37 in FIG. 1. In that event, the base channel member and the top channel member have arms which have the desired angular relationship for the particular installation.

Each of the channel arms 83 and 84 is relatively short, and the two arms are identical in construction, thus, the arms are provided, respectively, with horizontal plates 85 and 86, and parallel upright walls 87 and 88, and the walls 87 and 8-8 are flanked, respectively, by panel-receiving flanges 89 and 90. The corner channels are identical in width and height with the straight channels 30, and a corner channel 81 may be fastened to a straight channel 38' by the use of a standard splice member 78. Immediately adjacent a junction 91 of the arms 83 and 8d, the channel walls 87 and 88 are provided with opposed tabs, numbered, respectively, 'as 92 in the walls 87 and 93 in the walls 88. The top corner channel 82 is identical in construction with the bottom corner channel 81, and corresponding parts are correspondingly numbered beginning with numbers 103 and 104 which correspond to S3 and 84 in the bottom corner channel.

It is seen in FIGS. 9 and 12 that the two corner posts 32 are rigidly secured to the bottom corner channel 81 and the top corner channel 8 2 with a very small space between them, and the two posts are firmly secured together by means of one or more corner connectors 111 each of which includes a connecting web and a pairoi upright attaching webs 111a which attach to the diagonal webs 62 of the two corner posts. Accordingly, each of the corner assemblies 34 is very strong and rigid, and is easily connected at the ends of both of the arms 83 and 84 and 103 and 104 with the adjacent ends of a straight base channel and a straight top channel by means of splice members 78. a

The present system makes special provision for the situation where the ceiling height of a room in which a wall is erected is less than the full height of a post 32. To fit the post 3 2 into a relatively low ceilinged room it is necessary to cut the upper ends off the posts, and that eliminates the opposed openings 65 in the post legs 61 which ordinarily receive the integraltabs 53 on the top channel. Under these circumstances, the opposed tabs 54 and 55 which flank the post 32 are bent inwardly so that the post is clamped between them, and the post and the top channel are thus locked against relative longitudinal movement.

Where a ceiling is higher than the maximum length oi? the posts 32, extension posts 32a are positioned surmounting the posts 32 and the top channel 131, the posts 32a being out to any necessary length to fill the space between the top channel and the ceiling of the room. Under these conditions, the top channel is positioned on top of the posts 32in the usual manner, and the posts and top channel are secured together in the usual way. As best seen in FIG. 17, the top channel 31a which is used under these conditions have a diagonal slot 31b which is so positioned with respect to the tabs onthe channel walls that when the p'ost occupies its normal position secured to the top channel by means of the tabs the shot 31b lies along on face of the diagonal web 62 of the Z-post. Accordingly, when the extension post 3202 is positioned directly above the post 32, the flat splice plate 41 may be inserted through the slot 31b and lies along corresponding faces at the abutting, or aligned posts 32 and 32a where is may be secured to both posts by means of screws.

The extension post 3211 is cut on to any desired length to fit below the ceiling of the room, and is conveniently fastened to the ceiling by means of an angle bracket 112 (FIG. 15).

In making a wall installation, the wooden runners 3 8 and 39 are first attached to the floor and ceiling of a room, respectively, following the exact line of the wall installation. A pro-assembled structure unit consisting of a base channel, a top channel and supporting posts, is then placed upon the wooden runner 38 with the top channel substantially abutting the wooden runner 39 on the ceiling. The channels are attached to their respective runners by means of wood screws, and another similar structural unit is then positioned in abutment with the end oi'the first section and the sections are secured together by a splice member. The entire framework is mounted in this fashion, including any necessary corner assemblies. The center alignment brackets are then mounted on the posts as previously described, and the assembly is ready to receive the wall panels.

The mounting of the wall panels is illustrated in FIGS. 20 to 24, which show that each panel is mounted upon two adjacent posts 3-2 by means of clips, indicated generally at 1 13, each clip secured to a post by a hook 77 like that which is used to secure the center alignment brackets to the post. As best seen in FIGS. 23 and 23a, each clip has a generally planar base portion 114- which is provided with a central slot 115 of substantially the same dimensions as the slots '68 in the posts 32. Aligned with the ends of the slot 115 is a pair of rearwardly convex deformed tensioning pieces 116. At the four corners of the base portion 114 are integral spring clips 1-17 which are termed by rolling the marginal portions of the base forwardly and in upon themselves to bring the extreme ends of the rolled marginal portions against the base, and laterally a short distance outside the vertical margins of the base. Between the spring clips 117 on each of the longitudinal margins of the base is a forwardly extending stop flange 118 which is seen in FIG. 20 to lie slightly to the inside of the end of each of the spring clips 117.

The hook 77 has a shank 77a which extends through the slot 115 in the clip member and through a post slot 68 aligned with the slot 115, and a depending retaining lug 77b hooks over the lower portion of the slot 68 to hold the clip in place. An upright forward lug 776 overlies the front of clip 113 so as to clamp the clip firmly against the post, and the tensioning pieces 1'16 extend into the slots 68 above and below the slot occupied by the lug 771) so as to tension the clip and prevent it from sliding up and down on the post.

Each of the panels 25 consist of a central body portion 119 which has its upright margins bent rearwardly at 120 and provided with return bends 121 affording attaching flanges which have their outer ends lying behind the spring clips 1 17 when the panels are mounted upon the posts. The upright marginal flanges 118 on the spring clips prevent a panel margin from looking behind the open end of the rolled spring clip 117. The upright forward lug 77c of each hook '77 has an offset portion 77b which bears against a panel flange 120 so that the flange is clamped firmly between the hook and the roll spring clip 117. Thus, the panels are firmly held in place by a series of spring clips and hooks on each post, but are readily removed when it is necessary to change panels.

As seen in FIGS. 4 and 25, each panel 35 has a cen tral portion at its upper and lower end which is rolled inwardly to provide a stabilizing flange 122, and when the panels are mounted upon the post the stabilizing flanges 122 are frictionally gripped between a base channel wall 42 and the upright arm 46b of the base channel panel-receiving flange 46.

It will be recalled that in most installations panel 35 has its lower end seated in a flange 45 and its upper end extending into the space between the fastening web '71 and the depending web 74 of an intermediate alignment bracket 33; and the greater length of the depending web 74 as compared with the upright web 46b of the panel-receiving flange permits the upper end of the panel to the slid upwardly into the space between the webs 71 and 74 until the lower end of the panel clears the top margin of web 4612, whereupon the panel is slid downward to seat upon the horizontal web 46a of the flange, leaving the top of the panel spaced from the spacing web 72 of the intermediate alignment bracket 33. Similarly, the top panels 35a are mounted between the upright flange 73 of the center alignment panel and the depending arm 56b of the panel-receiving flange 6 on the upper channel member 3 1.

The complete panel structure also includes certain finishing pieces which are illustrated in FIGS. 15, 1 8, 25, and 26. Thus, for example, the open ends of the base and top channels, in case they do not abut against a wall, are concealed by end caps 123 having bifurcated arms 124 which slide over the ends of the horizontal arms 46a of the base channel panel-receiving flanges 46, or over the horizontal arms 56a of the corresponding parts of the top channel. Elongated channels (not shown) are usedto cover the posts between the caps 46.

In an assembly such as this illustratedin the righthand part of FIG. 1, where the top channels are not against a ceiling, filler pieces 125 and 126 (FIGS. 25 and 26) are screwed to the top channel and the top corner channel, respectively, to provide a trim piece that is flush with the depending arms of the panel-receiving flanges. On the other hand, where the assernbly is as illustrated in the extreme lefthand portion of FIG. 1, with extension posts 32a, a panel-holding filler piece 127 is used on top of the top channel as illustrated in FIG. 15 so that a filler panel of plywood or the like may have its lower end held between the posts and the upright web 12 8 of the [filler piece 127, with the upper end of the panel screwed or nailed to pads 129 which are secured to the ceiling to receive the brackets 112 for the tops of extension ports 32a.

Also included in the trim and finishing components are suitable upright members and cross members to frame a 8 doorway such as the doorway 37. Such members are supported on the adjacent posts 32 in any desired manner, but particularly by the use of special mounting clips by means of which they are secured to the diagonal webs 62 of the Z-post.

When an installation is completed as above described, plywood trim pieces may be mounted to fill the space below the panel-receiving flanges 46 of the base channels and conceal the lower runner 38; and in a case such as illustrated in FIG. 4 where a top channel is mounted directly upon a ceiling, runner 39, a similar plywood trim panel is cut to conceal the runner 39 and fill the space be tween the ceiling and the top panel-receiving flange 56.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom for some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a panel wall structure, in combination: a base channel assembly including a base channel extending along a floor, said channel having a horizontal plate and parallel, upright walls, a one-piece base corner channel having a short first arm and a short second arm at an angle to said first arm, both arms having a horizontal plate and parallel, upright walls with the plate and walls of said first arm abutting the ends of corresponding elements of a base channel, a channel-like splice member resting on the horizontal plates of the base channel and of the first arm of the corner channel, said splice member having upright walls which make a snug sliding fit between said abutting ends of the upright walls, and means securing the splice plate to said horizontal plates; a top channel assembly supported on a ceiling, said assembly including a straight top channel aligned with the base channel and having a horizontal plate and parallel, depending walls, a one-piece top corner channel aligned with the base corner channel, said top corner channel having a short first arm and a short second arm at an angle to said first arm, both arms having a horizontal plate and parallel, upright walls, and a channel-like splice member in said first arm of the top corner channel and in said straight top channel, said splice member connecting said top channel and said top corner channel with their ends abutting; a plurality of upright posts spaced from one another, each post having parallel legs, the lower and upper ends of said posts being seated, respectively, in said base channel assembly and in said top channel assembly with their parallel legs between and abutting said parallel channel walls, two of said posts being corner posts which are immediately adjacent one another in the first and second arms of the base corner channel; opposed, integral tabs on the parallel walls of the base channel and the base corner channel and associated with each post, each tab having an edge substantially abutting an upright portion of a post, said tabs etiectively locking the posts against lateral movement; means securing the upper end of each post in the top channel assembly; a corner connector plate joining said corner posts; a plurality of panels, each panel having upright margins against two adjacent posts; clip means secured to all of said posts and engaging the upright margins of each panel to secure the panels to the posts; and a corner filler assembly including a panel having faces parallel to both arms of the corner channels, said filler assembly having upright margins against the two corner posts and secured to said posts.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which the legs of the posts have aligned openings near their lower ends, and each tab on the base channel impales one of said openings, each tab bearing on the bottom of the opening and having edges substantially abutting opposite upright por' tions of the opening.

3. In a panel wall structure, in combination: identical straight base and top channels occupying opposed positions supported on a floor and ceiling, respectively, each channel having a horizontal plate and parallel walls; identical one-piece base and top corner channels, each corner channel having a short first arm and a short second arm at an angle to said first arm, both arms having a horizontal plate and parallel, upright Walls with the horizontal plate and walls of said first arm abutting-the ends of corresponding elements of a straight channel; a pair of channel-like splice members, one seated in the "base channel and one seated in the top channel, each of said splice members having upright walls which make a snug sliding fit between the abutting upright walls of a straight channel and a corner channel, and having a base against the horizontal plates of said channels; means securing each splice member to the straight channel and the corner channel in which it is seated; a plurality of upright posts spaced from one another, each post having parallel legs provided with aligned openings near their lower and upper ends, said posts having their lower and upper ends seated, respectively, in said base and top channels with the parallel post legs between and abutting the parallel channel walls and spaced from the splice members, I c of said posts being corner posts which are immediately adjacent one another in the first and second arms of the two corner channels; opposed, integral tabs on the parallel walls of each straight channel and both arms of each corner channel, each tab impaling an opening in a post to secure the posts and said straight channels and corner channels firmly together; a corner connector plate joining said corner posts; a plurality of panels, each panel having upright margins against two adjacent posts; clip means secured to all of said posts and engaging the upright margins of each panel to secure the panels to the posts; and a corner filler assembly including a panel having faces parallel to both arms of the corner channels, said filler assembly having upright margins against the two corner posts and secured to said posts.

4. In a panel Wall structure, in combination: a base channel extending along a floor, said channel having parallel, upright walls defining the sides of a post support, and having a right angle panel receiving flange on the outside of one of said walls; a top channel supported on a ceiling and vertically aligned with said base channel,

said top channel having parallel, depending walls and having a right angle panel receiving flange on the outside of one of said walls and opposed to the flange of the base channel; a plurality of upright posts spaced from one another, each post having parallel legs, the lower and upper ends of said posts being seated, respectively,

in said base channel and in said top channel with their parallel legs between and abutting said parallel upright and said depending channel walls; opposed integral tabs on the parallel walls of the base channel and associated with each post, each tab having an edge substantially abutting an upright portion of a post, said tabs effectively locking the posts against lateral movement; means securing the upper end of each post in the top channel; an elongated center alignment bracket coextensive with and parallel to said base channel and top channel, said bracket having an upright fastening web abutting corresponding legs of the posts intermediate the channels, a horizontal spacing web, and an upright flange at the outer edge of the spacing web, said flange extending below the spacing web a distance greater than the depth of the panel receiving flange on the base channel and extending above said spacing web a distance less than the depth of the panel receiving flange on the top channel; means detachably securing said alignment bracket to the posts; a plurality of lower panels, each lower panel having upright margins against two adjacent posts and having its lower and upper end portions seated, respectively, in said base channel flange and in said alignment bracket below the spacing web; an upper .panel aligned with each lower panel, each upper panel having its lower and upper end portions seated, respectively, in, the alignment bracket above the spacing web and in the top channel flange; and

clip means secured to all of said posts and engaging the upright margins of-each lower panel and each upper panel to secure the panels to the posts.

5. The combination of claim 4 in which the face of each post adjacent the panels and center alignment bracket contains a line of upright slots, the fastening web of the center alignment bracket contains a slot registered with a slot in each post, and the means detachably securing the alignment bracket to the posts consists of a plurality of hooks, there being a hook impaling the registered slots in each post and in the bracket.

6. The combination of claim'S in which the center alignment bracket includes integral tabs on the fastening web, each tab extending into a post slot below the registered slots to support the bracket, and in which the hooks extend downwardly from the registered slots to secure the bracket against the faces of the posts.

7. in a panel wall structure, in combination: a base channel extending along a floor, said channel having parallel, upright walls defining the sides of a post support; a top channel supported on a ceiling and vertically aligned with said base channel, said top channel having parallel,

depending walls; a plurality of upright posts spaced from one another, each post having parallel legs, the lower and upper ends of said posts being seated, respectively, in said base channel and in said top channel with their parallel legs between and abutting said parallel upright and said depending channel walls; opposed integral tabs on the parallel walls of the base channel and associated with each post, each tab having an edge substantially abutting an upright portion of a post, said tabs effectively locking the posts against lateral movement; means securing the upper end of each post in the top channel; a base panel receiving flange on the outside of one of the base channel walls, said flange having a transverse base web and an upright web which extend from a median line between adjacent posts toward both said posts; a top panel receiving flange on the outside of a top channel wall, said top flange being identical with, and opposed to said base flange; a plurality of panels, each panel having upright margins against two adjacent posts and its lower and upper marginal portions seated, respectively, in the panel receiving flanges of the base and top channels, each said panel being supported on the web of the base flange and having its extremities confined between the upright webs and the upright walls; and clip means secured to all of said posts and engaging the upright margins of each panel to secure the panels to the posts.

8. The combination of claim 7 in which the'base panel receiving flange and the top panel receiving flange are coextensive in length with the respective channel walls.

9.,The combination of claim 7 in which each panel has inturned marginal portions at its lower and upper ends which terminate inwardly of the upright panel margins and are gripped between the upright webs of the panel receiving flanges and the upright walls of the channels.

10. The combination of claim 7 in which the base channel and the top channel each has identical panel receiving flanges integral with both upright channel walls, and in which there are panels seated in both flanges on each channel.

References (listed in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Sept. 15, 1950 

7. IN A PANEL WALL STRUCTURE, IN COMBINATION: A BASE CHANNEL EXTENDING ALONG A FLOOR, SAID CHANNEL HAVING PARALLEL, UPRIGHT WALLS DEFINING THE SIDES OF A POST SUPPORT; A TOP CHANNEL SUPPORTED ON A CEILING AND VERTICALLY ALIGNED WIT SAID BASE CHANNEL, SAID TOP CHANNEL HAVING PARALLEL, DEPENDING WALLS; A PLURALITY OF UPRIGHT POSTS SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER, EACH POST HAVING PARALLEL LEGS, THE LOWER AND UPPER ENDS OF SAID POSTS BEING SEATED, RESPECTIVELY, IN SAID BASE CHANNEL AND IN SAID TOP CHANNEL WITH THEIR PARALLEL LEGS BETWEEN AND ABUTTING SAID PARALLEL UPRIGHT AND SAID DEPENDING CHANNEL WALLS; OPPOSED INTEGRAL TABS ON THE PARALLEL WALLS OF THE BASE CHANNEL AND ASSOCIATED WITH EACH POST, EACH TAB HAVING AN EDGE SUBSTANTIALLY ABUTTING AN UPRIGHT PORTION OF A POST, SAID TABS EFFECTIVELY LOCKING THE POSTS AGAINST LATERAL MOVEMENT; MEANS SECURING THE UPPER END OF EACH POST IN THE TOP CHANNEL; A BASE PANEL RECEIVING FLANGE ON THE OUTSIDE OF ONE OF THE BASE CHANNEL WALLS, SAID FLANGE HAVING A TRANSVERSE BASE WEB AND AN UPRIGHT WEB WHICH EXTEND FROM A MEDIAN LINE BETWEEN ADJACENT POSTS TOWARD BOTH SAID POSTS; A TOP PANEL RECEIVING FLANGE ON THE OUTSIDE OF A TOP CHANNEL WALL, SAID TOP FLANGE BEING IDENTICAL WITH, AND OPPOSED TO SAID BASE FLANGE; A PLURALITY OF PANELS, EACH PANEL HAVING UPRIGHT MARGINS AGAINST TWO ADJACENT POSTS AND ITS LOWER AND UPPER MARGINAL PORTIIONS SEATED, RESPECTIVELY, IN THE PANEL RECEIVING FLANGES OF THE BASE AND TOP CHANNELS, EACH SAID PANEL BEING SUPPORTED ON THE WEB OF THE BASE FLANGE AND HAVING ITS EXTREMITIES CONFINED BETWEEN THE UPRIGHT WEBS AND THE UPRIGHT WALLS; AND CLIP MEANS SECURED TO ALL OF SAID POSTS AND ENGAGING THE UPRIGHT MARGINS OF EACH PANEL TO SECURE THE PANELS TO THE POSTS. 